“Oh, wow… No make-up, and bright-orange high-vis vests. They’ll die if they have to be on TV like that. With millions and millions of people watching them. This is even better than the Green Lady. We need to get Mr Finlay a present.”
Poppy smiled slowly, watching as Rachel stood in front of Ali with a packet of cotton wool pads, making her take off every last bit of mascara. Ali looked furious – and oddly pale and pink-eyed.
“She must wear mascara to school every day,” Maya muttered. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without make-up on. She’s brilliant at getting it past the teachers.”
Joe came by and winked at Poppy. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure we get this bit in. Your little mates digging in their lovely orange outfits.”
“Girls! Come down and see this!” Poppy’s mum called. “You’re in the paper!”
Poppy bounced up off her bed, and Maya, Emilyand Izzy raced downstairs after her. She’d begged Mum to let her have a sleepover for the last weekend of the Easter holidays. It wasn’t her birthday or anything, but she felt like she wanted to say thank you to her friends for looking out for her over the last few weeks.
“Look!” Her mum spread the paper out on the kitchen table and the four of them huddled together to read it.
“Park Road School to star in new TV series!” Poppy read. “Well, one episode. Still, it’s sort of true.” There was a big photo of her standing in front of the Green Lady in the middle, and loads of other photos. Poppy shivered, realising she was wearing her hoodie – this must have been taken just before the spiders climbed out of her pocket. She hadn’t worn that hoodie since.
“The production company must have given them these as stills,” Maya said. “I didn’t see anyone from the paper around.”
“What are stills?” Emily whispered to Poppy, and Maya went pink.
“Sorry. Mum talks about all this kind of stuff. It’s a photo taken while you’re filming. You know. Still instead of moving.”
“You look really nice, Poppy,” Izzy said, reading the captions under all the photos. “And the mural looks amazing!”
“Oh, wow, I hadn’t seen this one!” Emily burst out laughing and pointed to the picture in the corner. “Look at them!”
Ali was glaring out of the photo, looking furious. She had a streak of mud down one cheek, and the orange vest had turned her face a sickly sort of colour. Elspeth and Lucy just looked fed up.
“It’s going to be great building the rest of the garden, and planting everything, but I really can’t wait for September,” Poppy said, giggling, as they went into the living room to watch a DVD. “It’ll be like a proper garden by then, or almost. All the plants will have grown a bit and they won’t just look like they’ve been shoved in.”
Izzy nodded. “We’ll even have had tomatoes and beans and things by then. Grown in our own garden! And then the TV series will be on.”
Poppy smiled. “Yup. I can mute the part where I’m talking, but there’s one bit that I really have to see…”
The four friends laughed. It was great to have something so amazing to look forward to, but first they had a sleepover to get on with!
Bing bong
. The doorbell.
I listen, but nothing happens.
Bing bong
. The doorbell again.
My baby brother, Syd, pauses. He’s feeding dinosaurs to the laundry bin. He smiles and hands me a slimy stegosaurus.
Bing bong, bing bong, bing bong.
Rats. Mum must be deaf or something.
I lower myself from the top bunk, headfirst. I’ve got the sheet wrapped round my waist. It’s how I’d like to escape from a burning house, but this time all the bedding comes with me and I end upcrashing to the floor.
Bing bong!
“Coming!” I yell. I pull on some jeans and peer out of the window. I can only just see through the glass because all the rain there ever was seems to be trying to fall on our house, and most of it’s racing down my window. There’s a battered
Poppy smiled slowly, watching as Rachel stood in front of Ali with a packet of cotton wool pads, making her take off every last bit of mascara. Ali looked furious – and oddly pale and pink-eyed.
“She must wear mascara to school every day,” Maya muttered. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without make-up on. She’s brilliant at getting it past the teachers.”
Joe came by and winked at Poppy. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure we get this bit in. Your little mates digging in their lovely orange outfits.”
“Girls! Come down and see this!” Poppy’s mum called. “You’re in the paper!”
Poppy bounced up off her bed, and Maya, Emilyand Izzy raced downstairs after her. She’d begged Mum to let her have a sleepover for the last weekend of the Easter holidays. It wasn’t her birthday or anything, but she felt like she wanted to say thank you to her friends for looking out for her over the last few weeks.
“Look!” Her mum spread the paper out on the kitchen table and the four of them huddled together to read it.
“Park Road School to star in new TV series!” Poppy read. “Well, one episode. Still, it’s sort of true.” There was a big photo of her standing in front of the Green Lady in the middle, and loads of other photos. Poppy shivered, realising she was wearing her hoodie – this must have been taken just before the spiders climbed out of her pocket. She hadn’t worn that hoodie since.
“The production company must have given them these as stills,” Maya said. “I didn’t see anyone from the paper around.”
“What are stills?” Emily whispered to Poppy, and Maya went pink.
“Sorry. Mum talks about all this kind of stuff. It’s a photo taken while you’re filming. You know. Still instead of moving.”
“You look really nice, Poppy,” Izzy said, reading the captions under all the photos. “And the mural looks amazing!”
“Oh, wow, I hadn’t seen this one!” Emily burst out laughing and pointed to the picture in the corner. “Look at them!”
Ali was glaring out of the photo, looking furious. She had a streak of mud down one cheek, and the orange vest had turned her face a sickly sort of colour. Elspeth and Lucy just looked fed up.
“It’s going to be great building the rest of the garden, and planting everything, but I really can’t wait for September,” Poppy said, giggling, as they went into the living room to watch a DVD. “It’ll be like a proper garden by then, or almost. All the plants will have grown a bit and they won’t just look like they’ve been shoved in.”
Izzy nodded. “We’ll even have had tomatoes and beans and things by then. Grown in our own garden! And then the TV series will be on.”
Poppy smiled. “Yup. I can mute the part where I’m talking, but there’s one bit that I really have to see…”
The four friends laughed. It was great to have something so amazing to look forward to, but first they had a sleepover to get on with!
Bing bong
. The doorbell.
I listen, but nothing happens.
Bing bong
. The doorbell again.
My baby brother, Syd, pauses. He’s feeding dinosaurs to the laundry bin. He smiles and hands me a slimy stegosaurus.
Bing bong, bing bong, bing bong.
Rats. Mum must be deaf or something.
I lower myself from the top bunk, headfirst. I’ve got the sheet wrapped round my waist. It’s how I’d like to escape from a burning house, but this time all the bedding comes with me and I end upcrashing to the floor.
Bing bong!
“Coming!” I yell. I pull on some jeans and peer out of the window. I can only just see through the glass because all the rain there ever was seems to be trying to fall on our house, and most of it’s racing down my window. There’s a battered
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